Although 2013's Planes is considered a part of the Pixar universe, it was not actually made by the studio. Planes, which follows a crop duster whose dream is to compete in the Wings Around The Globe race, is a spinoff of the popular Cars franchise. Following the success of Planes, Planes: Fire and Rescue, was released in 2014 as a sequel. There was supposed to be a third installment in the Planes franchise as well, but it was canceled after the production studio behind the movie was closed.

Pixar has produced several movies for Disney, including the record-breaking Inside Out 2. The studio was behind developing the Cars franchise but did not produce the spinoff, Planes, despite the movies being set in the same universe. Pixar might not have been behind the production of Planes, but there are some things in the feature film that connect it to Pixar's Cars.

Planes Is Set In The Same Universe As Cars (But Isn’t A Pixar Movie)

Planes Was Produced By Disneytoon Studios

Given the similarities between Cars and Planes, it's obvious that the two movies are set in the same universe. Cars and Planes have the same aesthetic, such as the eyes and movements of the characters. Another thing that places the two animations in the same universe is their premise. In Planes, Dusty wants to win the Wings Around The Globe race and enlists the help of Skipper to be his mentor. While in Cars, Lightning McQueen's greatest ambition is to win the Piston Cup, a goal he seeks to achieve with the help of Doc, who becomes his mentor in the story.

According to the widely circulated Pixar Theory, all Pixar movies exist in the same universe and can be watched in chronological order. In the theory, the events in Cars happen after Up when machines are left to populate the Earth. Although there are reasons the Pixar Theory doesn't work, the fact that planes are machines too shows that Cars and Planes exist in the same universe. Further, there's a picture of McQueen on a newspaper in Planes that can lead to the conclusion that the two animations do in fact share a universe.

Planes’ Pixar Connection Explained

John Lasseter Was Behind The Concept Of Planes

Despite Planes not being a Pixar movie, it has some connections to the animation studio. John Lasseter, the former chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, was behind the concept of Planes. Lasseter, who directed Cars and Cars 2, served as an executive producer on Planes. Since Lasseter was behind Planes and Cars, it explains why the two movies have the same aesthetic.

Planes was meant to be a direct-to-video animation, which explains why Pixar did not produce the movie.

Lasseter was also the chief creative officer of Disneytoon Studios, the studio that developed Planes. Disneytoon Studios was in charge of producing direct-to-video sequels of Disney feature films. The studio had produced several feature films before it was closed down, including Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, and DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. Planes was meant to be a direct-to-video animation, which explains why Pixar did not produce the movie. However, Disney later reverted that decision after seeing the potential of Planes and the animation was released in theaters instead. Planes was the first film released theatrically by Disneytoon Studios since Pooh's Heffalump Movie.

Why Planes Was Nowhere Near As Successful As Cars

Planes Wasn't A Success With Critics

While Planes and Cars had the same creative mind behind them, Planes wasn't as successful as Cars. Planes had a budget of $50 million and grossed $240.2 million at the box office. Cars, on the other hand, had a budget of $120 million and made $462 million at the box office. The fact that Planes wasn't a Pixar movie was the film's downfall. Planes not being developed by Pixar but by Disneytoon Studios meant that it had a smaller budget than Cars. Planes' lower production budget worked against it because it meant that it didn't have the same quality as Cars.

The feature film's budget also meant that the animation wasn't as well marketed as Cars was, which contributed to why it was not as successful. Planes received a lukewarm reception from critics, while Cars was viewed more positively. Although Planes and Cars had a similar premise and main characters, McQueen was funnier and more entertaining than Dusty. The fact that Planes wasn't as successful as Cars added to the reason why there hasn't been a third installment in the franchise, whereas Cars did end up having a third entry, with a fourth Cars movie remaining a real possibility to boot.